Tracks and signs and winter delights

This post really goes to show that looking for wildlife in winter can be great fun and very rewarding. Steve and I decided to go for a walk in the forest near Glenmore Lodge in Aviemore. This is quite a popular track that heads up to Ryvoan bothy so I didn't really expect to see any wildlife. However after about 20 minutes of walking we headed off into the trees and started looking for tracks....

Hoof print Cervus elaphus, Red Deer - Cairngorm

Hoof print Cervus elaphus, Red Deer - Cairngorm

The first thing I spotted in the snow was some tracks and I am pretty sure they were red deer tracks. They could have been roe deer but they were long and thin and less rounded than those of a roe deer and definitely not as rounded as a reindeer. Further along the trail Steve and I saw the signs of a bed.The snow had been dug out and some of the moss and grass underneath had been scraped. A little further along there was a couple more. They were the size of an average deer and they had more hoof prints next to them and droppings.
 

Bed most likely species - Cervus elaphus, Red Deer - Cairngorm

 

Droppings

Having done a google search for images of deer droppings I discovered that the size and shape can vary according to diet. But the droppings above did fit with a lot of the images. Further into the forest we followed the river and there were many more hoof prints. We also came across what looked like some hare or rabbit prints but the snow was quite old and the print fairly distorted. It did look like there was two parallel back paw prints followed by the two single front paw prints. However on closer inspection considering the 2 prints at the left of the pic would be the rear paw prints the thinner snow is lying in the wrong direction. If that makes sense!! I actually think it is more likely to be some more deer prints and I am just hoping!

Possible deer prints in the snow - Cairngorm

Possible hare or rabbit prints in the snow?? - Cairngorm

Further along the trail I saw some more interesting signs of wildlife. What looked like deer tracks went up to a lichen covered tree and it looked like there had been some kind of scraping or nibbling towards the base. 

Tree with lichen and signs of scraping or nibbling

Tree with lichen and signs of scraping or nibbling

Steve found a hole which looked like it had some furry resident within - but I am not sure what. 

Possible rodent home

I found a sapling which had been totally stripped, but by what I am not sure as I could not find any tracks in the snow.

Sapling - having been stripped!

We continued on our walk and it would not be right to post this blog without a picture of the mighty Scot's Pine, Pinus slyvestris - one of my favourite trees.There were some pretty cool branch formations.

Pinus slyvestris, Scot's Pine - Cairngorm

Pinus slyvestris, Scot's Pine - Cairngorm

Steve and I then headed back to the main track and on to the Emerald Lake - a beautiful place to visit and impressive in winter. 

Emerald Lake - Cairngorm

Emerald Lake - Cairngorm

I then continued up to Ryvoan bothy. The area around the bothy is an RSPB reserve and I would suggest a great spot to birdwatch in the warmth. It's a well maintained bothy with a good fireplace - the only downside is it is only about a 45 minute walk in, so very accessible which means it can get quite busy.

Ryvoan Bothy, Cairngorm

Ryvoan Bothy, Cairngorm

View from Ryvoan Bothy

I chatted to a couple of guys who had stayed in the bothy the previous night and then I headed back down the main track. On the way back I took a picture of a domestic dog print. I now just need to find a fox print to compare it to!

Domestic dog print

I know this is a bit of a diversion from wildlife..... but earlier in the day we had stopped to talk to some Siberian husky dog sled racers. They were racing at the weekend and had got their dogs out. I stood to admire them for a while (again in the rain). As most of you will know dogs are descendants of wolves. Wolves to me are striking, intelligent animals and the huskies resembled them in both their looks and behaviours even though they had been domesticated. I wish I had got one of their paw prints in the snow to compare this to the dog print. Never mind - next time.

Siberian Husky, Canis lupus familiaris

Siberian Husky, Canis lupus familiaris

So what started out as a potentially wet walk in the woods, turned out to be a fantastic outing with lots to see. It just goes to show that there really is plenty of wildlife around in winter and if you don't see it in the flesh, it is just as good fun finding the tracks and signs of life. It really is just worth getting wrapped up and getting out there.